Send UK planning applications to n8n
Trigger self-hosted or cloud n8n workflows the moment a matching application appears.
Plota brings UK planning applications from 389 council planning portals into one classified, source-linked feed. Connect it to n8n and every new planning application that matches your saved area and categories arrives in n8n automatically - so your team can act on local planning activity the day it is published, without checking council portals by hand.
Before you start
- Get an API key (a free demo key works for testing).
- Create a saved alert in Plota for the area and categories you want, and note its alert id.
How to connect Plota to n8n
Add a Webhook node
New workflow → add a Webhook node, method POST. Copy the Production URL, not the test URL - the test URL only listens while the editor is open, which is the usual reason a webhook works during setup and goes quiet afterwards.
Register it with Plota
In your Plota dashboard, open Webhooks → Add a webhook and paste the n8n URL - no code needed. Or via the API:
curl "https://api.plota.co.uk/v1/webhooks" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer plota_live_your_key" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"url": "https://n8n.example.com/webhook/plota-planning", "alert_id": 123}'Send a test delivery
Fire a test event so n8n captures the payload shape and the downstream nodes can map fields by name:
curl -X POST "https://api.plota.co.uk/v1/webhooks/123/test" -H "Authorization: Bearer plota_live_your_key"Verify the signature yourself
n8n is one of the few tools here that can check the signature rather than trusting the URL. Turn on Raw body on the Webhook node first: the HMAC-SHA256 is computed over the exact bytes Plota sent, so a body that has been parsed and re-serialised will never match. Then compare your digest of Plota-Timestamp + . + the raw body against the Plota-Signature header, using the signing secret shown once when the webhook was created.
Make the workflow idempotent
Retries reuse Plota-Event-Id. Key an n8n static-data check or a downstream upsert on it so a redelivery updates rather than duplicates.
Verify deliveries
Each webhook is signed - verify the Plota-Signature header (HMAC-SHA256 over timestamp.body). Full details in the API docs.
n8n integration FAQ
Can I send UK planning applications to n8n?
Yes. When a new application matches a saved Plota alert, n8n receives it directly via a signed webhook. Each record includes the planning reference, authority, address, description, classified category, dates, and links to the official council source and the Plota page.
Do I need to write code to connect Plota to n8n?
No. n8n can receive Plota's webhook natively, then map the planning application fields - no code required.
What planning data comes through to n8n?
Every event carries the application reference, authority, address, postcode, description, Plota's classified category, status, received / validated / decision dates, coordinates, the Plota page URL and the official council source URL.
How current is the planning data?
Plota checks UK council planning portals daily and classifies new applications, so matches reach n8n as they are processed - not on a manual schedule.
Is the n8n integration free?
You can test the API with a free demo key. Live webhook delivery into n8n is available on the Starter plan and above; Plota's public planning search and email alerts stay free.